Royal Romance: Consort
by Higuchimon
Summary: To protect the people, Prince Daisuke will marry King Ken. His ultimate goal is to find out what changed Ken from the kind person rumor painted him as to the cruel monarch who he knows now. Will he succeed? Or is Ken too far gone for anyone to redeem, even Daisuke? [rewrite planned: removal will occur when rewrite is finished]
1. Chapter 1

**Series:** Royal Romance|| **Title** : Consort  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Romance:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** One|| **Words:** 3,070  
 **Genre:** Drama, Romance|| **Rated:** R  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing, I8, 4-8 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, #24, receive; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #22, 6 chapters; DaiKen Week 2017, day #1, royalty/historical  
 **Notes:** This is an AU which involves royalty and magic to some extent. Ken is somewhat more Kaiser-ish but there will be explanations and perhaps reformation in the fullness of time.  
 **Summary:** To protect the people, Prince Daisuke will marry King Ken. His ultimate goal is to find out what changed Ken from the kind person rumor painted him as to the cruel monarch who he knows now. Will he succeed? Or is Ken too far gone for anyone to redeem, even Daisuke?

* * *

Word spread throughout the lands in a matter of days once the decision had been made. Messengers, heralds, and bards alike brought it to all the corners of the land and beyond.

King Ken would soon celebrate his nuptials.

Even with the announcement of his betrothal to a young man, the people rejoiced and relaxed just a fraction, if not a bit more. Their king needed a companion, the gossips declared, whether or not this young Prince Daisuke – heir to a small kingdom less than a fourth the size of their own kingdom – could bear a child or not. They could, it was said, always adopt a child of their own, or perhaps Prince Daisuke's elder sister, who had wed in a distant land, could provide an heir.

The point was that King Ken would no longer be alone and thus matters would _hopefully_ improve. For them, at least.

No one was entirely certain of if matters would be any better for Prince Daisuke.

* * *

The carriage came to a halt in front of the royal palace's great double doors. Two lines of guards stood outside, some of them human, some of them not. King Ken did not care what bloodlines his warriors possessed, so long as they obeyed him without question. Rumor had it that his own father wasn't precisely human.

No one dared to say that to his face, however. At least not anymore. It had been done in the past, and the foolish questioner hadn't been seen again since.

But now, the coachman opened the carriage door, and the passenger stepped out, his lips firmly pressed together, his shoulders squared, his head held high. His clothes were well-made and of a fine weave for a prince, and he wore little jewelry, save for a slender golden chain mesh around his neck, set with a single amethyst.

The palace doors swung open and with a great fanfare, King Ken stepped outward, regally garbed in his customary blue, a slender circlet of gold around his sapphire hair, and his amethyst eyes as cold as cut gems.

The new arrival stepped toward him the necessary distance. The two of them stood facing one another, until the newcomer dropped down to one knee.

"Your Majesty," he said, his voice tight and cold. "I have arrived."

"So I see." King Ken stared down at him, a dark lust burning in his gaze before he lifted his head and gestured to the servants. "Have my betrothed's possessions taken to our chambers and arranged there. I wish to have a private talk with him. Come along, Daisuke."

Daisuke stood up, still as tight and angry as before, and followed Ken without another word. The King didn't seem to care for conversation, at least not until they entered the room he'd chosen.

Here there weren't any guards. Here a faint glimmer of pale blue magic shone from gemstones set in the walls, keeping them enclosed away from all others.

Here Ken casually threw himself down into the finely upholstered chair and turned to look at his consort to be as the door closed and locked behind them. Here they would have privacy until he chose otherwise.

"I don't remember telling you that you could stand up when we're alone," he said. Daisuke stared at him for a few silent, angry moments before he slid down onto both knees and stared at the carpeted floor. Ken chuckled, a satisfied sound. "I've told you how delicious you look like that, haven't I?"

The chair and where Daisuke knelt were both in a perfect position for him to reach out and pet Daisuke's hair, and so he did. He didn't expect an answer and he didn't get one.

"Tomorrow will be our wedding day," Ken said at last, his hand tilting Daisuke's face up so their eyes met. "Tomorrow morning, at dawn. We'll have our wedding breakfast, and then the rest of the month will be ours to consummate our marriage in."

With every word he said, he could see Daisuke's anger growing, and he rubbed his finger over his future consort's lips.

"Or we could consummate it right now. My word is law here, you now. If I declare us married now, then there's no one who could raise an objection." He smiled slowly. "Or if they did, I wouldn't care. Would you like that, my Daisuke? To not have to wait a tedious day and night before you and I are one again?"

Oh, he vividly remembered their first time together, Daisuke writhing in the grip of passion against him, the ever so sweet sounds that he made, especially when he couldn't hold back his desire and lust another moment, waking up for several days with Daisuke tucked against him in bed. He'd become very used to that last part. It was part of the reason he'd decided he would wed Daisuke instead of just getting rid of their family altogether, as he'd done with many other so-called kingdoms on his borders.

"I'll wait," Daisuke said, his voice little more than a grind of anger. Ken chuckled. He'd expected that.

"That doesn't mean you won't be in my bed tonight," he reminded Daisuke. "Just that we won't be married." If his desires overwhelmed his reason, then… well, he was King here. As he'd just reminded Daisuke, his word was law. He could do as he pleased, with whomsoever he pleased.

He pulled Daisuke closer to him for a deep, rich, passionate kiss. He'd waited almost six months between leaving Daisuke, thoroughly debauched, eternally marked as his with the unbreakable collar, and unsuitable for anyone else, and issuing the declaration of marriage between them. He could hardly wait for the ceremony itself, or the marriage moon to follow it. It would make the week they'd already spent together feel like the brief fling it was, compared to the lifetime ahead of them.

"Do I get any rooms for myself here?" Daisuke wanted to know. Ken chuckled, tapping him on the nose.

"Why would you want that? You're going to be my consort. I'll want you by me at all times. It will make everyone else so happy to see you with me." He smiled slowly. "They believe I'll be a better ruler with you at my side."

He saw Daisuke shudder. Such a lovely reminder of what their reality would be. He didn't want Daisuke to forget for a moment.

"We might not be married," Ken said at last, "but I've gone far too long without certain pleasures, and I think it's your task to deal with those." He pulled himself to his feet and Daisuke as well, guiding him to the inviting couch in the corner. "And it won't be a bad idea to practice for tomorrow, will it?"

He still didn't expect an answer, and he still didn't get one. At least not a verbal one.

* * *

Daisuke lay on the couch, wrapped up in his future husband's arms, exhausted to the bone, and on the verge of falling asleep after their exertions.

He wanted to hate King Ken. He brought up every memory and stared at it in vivid detail, reminding himself of just what this man had done.

He'd carefully, coldly, successfully eliminated all of the support Daisuke's kingdom had, absorbing the other lands into his kingdom, making certain there weren't any other survivors to help in any fashion.

Daisuke couldn't prove it, but he suspected the king had a spy – or had _had_ a spy – in his own court, since no sooner had Daisuke begun to think about an alliance marriage, one that would give him some support, even if it were risky, he'd proclaimed a royal visit to Daisuke's kingdom.

That was probably the worst thing he'd done. Not just visiting, but entering Daisuke's personal quarters, acting as if he already ruled there, and thoroughly ruining him for anyone else.

It wasn't just the sex, though in fairness, it was amazing. Most of the royal families in the area understood the concept of experience in one fashion or another. Everyone took precautions against illegitimate children – or at least tried to. Other than that, most people didn't worry about it too much.

But after the days he'd spent with Ken, being very thoroughly screwed in every way, the thought of letting anyone who wasn't Ken touch him… he couldn't imagine it.

For that alone, he did manage to loathe King Ken. That touch ignited passion within him that he'd never thought possible before. In those days, after the king enjoyed himself for a full week, part of Daisuke feared that he would never come to him again or send for him, and Daisuke would live out his life aching for what he'd never have again.

Even the fact King Ken fastened the golden mesh collar around his neck didn't necessarily mean that he would return. It meant that he belonged to Ken and that no one else was allowed to court him or even suggest an alliance. Days after Ken's departure, an envoy from a distant land arrived. What they wished, Daisuke never learned: the moment they saw the collar, they'd made polite excuses and left without another word.

No one would argue with King Ken's claim.

Months afterward, the message arrived: Daisuke would be King Ken's consort and his kingdom would be absorbed into Ken's larger holdings. He wasn't really given an option on it. Ken would appoint someone to rule there while Daisuke moved into the palace.

Technically he did have options. They were to accept it and live out his life as the cruel King's consort, or to deny it, and the King would take him and his kingdom by force.

He wouldn't let that happen to his people. He could only imagine what their fate would be anyway, but at least if he obeyed the King's commands and wed him, it might be better for them.

He didn't think he could make the King a better person. But he would be more than willing to try.

 _I've heard that he wasn't like this once._ Daisuke could feel the king's heartbeat as they pressed together, Ken already sound asleep. He knew he wouldn't be awake much longer, and the morning wouldn't offer many real chances to think this through. _He used to actually be a good person._

But no one knew what had changed him or if he'd changed at all. What King Ken had been like as the prince in waiting remained a mystery. Daisuke had been too busy with his own kingdom to even think about it.

 _But I'm here now. I can ask. I can find out._

As much as he wanted to hate this guy, as much as his body resonated to Ken's touch, he wanted to find out the truth, too. If there were a reason, if there was something that could be changed, if he could be _helped_ …

He'd do it for the good of the people. But nothing else.

* * *

Morning came far too soon and no one seemed at all surprised when Ken and Daisuke emerged from the private reception room instead of the King's bedroom. Daisuke suspected that nothing at all surprised most people about what their King did, unless he might actually do something nice for someone else.

"Have him bathed," Ken ordered three servants who stood waiting for their orders. "And dressed for the wedding."

Daisuke was sort of surprised that Ken didn't insist on bathing him himself. But he wasn't given time to question the matter as the servants hurried him to the bathing room.

Nor did they give him a chance to talk. They whispered among themselves, but no one addressed anything to him directly, just nudging him gently here and there when they needed him to move.

He missed bathing back home, with people who would actually talk to him.

The sun hadn't fully cleared the horizon as the servants brought Daisuke to the grand chapel in the palace. He'd been dressed in sleek garments of the finest quality materials: his little kingdom hadn't had much to do with making clothing, so he didn't know a lot about them. He could tell this was the good stuff, though.

Despite the early hour, people crowded into the chapel, all of them in their best, all of them silent and watching, some with hints of sympathy, most of them as neutral as they could work their faces. At the front of the room stood King Ken, resplendent in rich blues and violets that matched his coloring, and before him stood the High Priestess Hikari, ready to perform the ceremony.

Daisuke couldn't get a good look at her from back where he was, but he kind of thought she didn't look very happy about this. Or she didn't look happy about something, anyway.

There wasn't any music as he approached the front of the room. Ken turned to look at him as he drew close enough and the most amazing thing happened when he did: he smiled.

It wasn't a cruel smile. Daisuke had experience enough with the king to recognize those. It wasn't even a lustful smile – he had even more experience with those.

This was a small, sweet, genuine smile, that unfortunately didn't last more than a handful of heartbeats before they stood side by side before the High Priestess and the ceremony began.

But it stuck in Daisuke's head regardless. He didn't think the king could fake a look like that. It felt too genuine to him.

He couldn't dwell on it as much as he wanted to. Not paying attention at his own wedding would be disastrous, for a multitude of reasons.

Ken took Daisuke's hands in his, staring directly into his eyes as he made his vows.

"In the sight of the gods and all these witnesses, I pledge myself to you," Ken said. "We shall be one for now and forever. What I have is yours and what you have is mine."

Daisuke wasn't surprised at the small quirk of his lips when he said _that_.

"Not even death shall part us. We are one for all time. So it is, so it was, and so shall it ever be."

Daisuke repeated the pledge, though he couldn't have said that his heart was in it at all. The memory of that smile floated in the back of his head, but the stronger memory of Ken's actions didn't vanish.

High Priestess Hikari offered the traditional golden chalice, full to the brim of the finest of wines, to Ken after she blessed it.

"To seal the bond, share this, as you shall share all things from this day forward," she intoned. Ken accepted it and took the ceremonial sip before he turned to Daisuke, chalice still between his hands, and lifted it to him.

Daisuke took his own sip, and while he knew a little about wine this remained head and shoulders above what he was used to. Probably holy wine. But it made his head spin in a delicious way, much like Ken's own kisses did.

"And now, in the name of the gods, I declare you joined," High Priestess Hikari stated. "A bond that shall last from this moment until the end of time."

Ken wrapped one hand around the back of Daisuke's head, pulled him closer, and kissed him thoroughly. The pressure on the back of his head was just enough to send a message and Daisuke understood it: he kissed back.

"Time for breakfast," Ken murmured when he finally puled himself away from Daisuke's lips. "Let's go."

* * *

Hikari tried not to seethe visibly as King Ken and his new consort departed for the dining hall. Instead, she gathered up the ritual items and put each one back where it belonged, saving the cup of wine to be set on the altar. Blessed wine couldn't simply be dumped down into the sewers. It would be shared among the priests and priestesses, with many good wishes for the future happiness of the new couple.

 _They'll need all the help that they can get._

If she weren't High Priestess and therefore required to perform rites like this, she never would have. The perversion of sacred bonds…

She'd prayed for months for a way to heal Ken's mind but with no answer. And now he did this.

Something had gone wrong somewhere and she didn't know how to fix it.

* * *

Ken took great pleasure in feeding Daisuke by hand, even when his dear new consort protested that he could feed himself.

"This is our wedding breakfast," Ken reminded him, lifting a cup of wine to Daisuke's lips. "And your first meal in our new home. Why shouldn't I?"

Daisuke grumbled even more. "Because like I said, I don't need it."

Ken only smiled and took the time to eat his own share. He let his fingers trail down Daisuke's neck, sharp to see his consort's shiver at the contact. He'd put a great deal of effort into learning Daisuke's weak points during their first intimate days with one another. All information that he could use to his advantage now.

Throughout the city there would be feasts and parties to celebrate the wedding. Those who could afford to do so would celebrate for days on end. Some might even take this as a good sign and take their own wedding vows.

For the next cycle of the moon, from full moon rising tonight to the next one, he would take care only of what business he absolutely needed to, that required the royal signature or attention. In the rest of his time, he would enjoy himself with Daisuke, in every way that he desired.

There would be sex, of course, and quite a lot of it. He'd given thought to many different ways he could debauch Daisuke even further, to arouse him and ensure that he enjoyed every moment he spent in his new lord's embrace.

Not that Daisuke hadn't enjoyed their first time together. From the moment Ken entered his rooms that night, Daisuke had been irrevocably attracted to him. The way his breath caught, the way his hands moved, the noises that he made as Ken took him for the first time, all of that told Ken that Daisuke wanted him.

And what kind of a king would Ken be if he didn't grant such wishes?

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** Chapter 2 will involve the first meeting between Ken and Daisuke in more detail. Also, there will be at least three stories in my DaiKen Week fics that are not Kaiser-y.


	2. Chapter 2

**Series:** Royal Romance|| **Title** : Consort  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Romance:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** Two|| **Words:** 6,095  
 **Genre:** Drama, Romance|| **Rated:** R  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing, I8, 4-8 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, #24, receive; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #22, 6 chapters; DaiKen Week 2017, day #1, royalty/historical  
 **Notes:** King Ken knows what consent is. He just doesn't care. For reasons that will be explored later in the story. Or possibly in a sequel.

* * *

 _I wonder if anyone would believe me if I told them King Ken cuddles when he's in bed._

Daisuke doubted it. But there the fearsome king was, one arm draped over Daisuke's shoulders, one leg wrapped around Daisuke's, his head buried against Daisuke's shoulders, and as sound asleep as Daisuke himself wished he were after their extremely exhausting day.

He wasn't going to try to tell anyone, whether they would believe him or not. Some things just didn't need to be known. If he wanted people's opinions of the king to improve – and for the king himself to improve – he needed to do more than just tell bedroom secrets.

 _He'd probably just insist that there's nothing wrong with holding his husband. And he's not wrong there._ It wasn't wrong in and of itself. Daisuke just didn't know if he especially wanted to be held. He really wasn't certain if he _wanted_ to be a husband in the first place, especially not Ken's husband.

Daisuke stifled a yawn and closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to at least _try_ to get information on Ken and his past, he'd been awake since before dawn, gotten married, the marriage consummated, and it wasn't even properly noon yet. He needed some sleep.

With the way his day had gone so far, perhaps it wasn't so surprising that the dreams that slid into his mind so clearly were of the first time he'd found himself in King Ken's arms.

* * *

 _What is he doing here?_ Daisuke wanted to tell the visiting king to pack his bags and leave that moment. What kept his lips together at that point was the fact the king had arrived not just with a retinue proper to his station and the wealth of his kingdom, but with a guard that at least doubled the one that Daisuke's small home supported.

He didn't like the idea at all, but until he knew just why King Ken showed up, he would have to be _nice_ to him. Then once the intruding king left, he could pick up his negotiations for an alliance marriage of his own, one that stood a chance of enabling him to stand up to the king.

At least one guard always stood outside of his door and it was their task to alert Daisuke when someone wanted to talk to him while he was in his rooms. So while Daisuke mused over his annoyance with King Ken and his potential future marriage, he didn't notice the door opening quietly and the very king he'd not invited entering the room, his footsteps muffled by the thick rug as he walked over to where Daisuke sat framed in firelight.

But his attention snapped up right away the moment that King Ken reached out, took hold of Daisuke's chin, and turned it upward.

"What are you doing here?" Daisuke jumped back, managing to spout the words out as soon as he'd wrenched himself away.

"I came to see you, of course. Did you think I wouldn't want some private time with my host?" The smile on his lips sent chills all through Daisuke.

"What did you do with my guard?" Daisuke demanded. There hadn't been a sound, not a single warning, and that worried him almost as much as the king's presence did.

"Nothing fatal. They simply know better than to get in my way." Ken loomed over him, smiling in a way fit to cause nightmares. "I have no intentions of hurting anyone here, least of all you, Prince Daisuke. Not unless I have to." He paused for a moment, clearly just for the effect of it. "Or unless you want me to."

Daisuke didn't like the sound of that. He shifted away as Ken moved closer. The more he moved, though, the more Ken stared at him, glints of desire in his eyes that Daisuke wanted nothing to do with.

"What did you want to see me about that's so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" He refused to even think about 'wanting to be hurt'.

"Oh, so very many things," Ken said with a shrug. He moved again and Daisuke pulled back. If they'd been anyone else, Daisuke knew he would've thrown himself forward instead, forcing Ken out and probably giving him a black eye in the process. But doing so to a reigning king, even _by_ a reigning prince, could lead to the sort of diplomatic incident his kingdom couldn't afford and which could only be fixed by death.

He wouldn't leave his people like that. Never.

"Get started, then." The sooner Ken finished whatever it was he wanted to talk about, the sooner Daisuke could go to bed, and maybe the king would even decide to leave in the morning.

He didn't.

What he did was lean forward, pinning Daisuke between his arms, and stare at him for a breathless moment before pressing his lips against Daisuke's.

For another few moments, Daisuke didn't move at all, too surprised at this unexpected action to so much as think. Then he threw himself as far away from Ken's touch as he could manage.

"What did you do _that_ for?" Daisuke gasped, rubbing at his lips as if he could get the taste off. It didn't work. What made it worse was that it was a _good_ taste, slightly sweet, slightly tart, with Ken's tongue having traced briefly at his lips before he broke the touch.

"Because I wanted to. And it's only the first." Ken smiled again and Daisuke would've jumped through a window if he'd had one handy.

Instead, he just shook his head as wildly as he could. _Am I having a nightmare? Did I fall asleep?_ It sounded more like what would happen in a dream than in reality. There wasn't any real reason he could think of where the most powerful king in the known world would come into his private room and kiss him! Not to mention say that he wanted more!

Rumor had it of the great speed and strength King Ken possessed. Daisuke found out just how true that was when the king seized him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up close and personal.

"I think that you need to understand," the king murmured, violet eyes boring into Daisuke's, "that I can and do take what I want. What and _who_."

Daisuke had no chance to say anything against that, let alone anything coherent. The king kissed down him slowly, trailing from his lips to his chin to his chest, and Daisuke's mind spun in such circles that even if Ken released him, he wouldn't have known where to go or what to do.

He offered no protest beyond a faint murmur as Ken drew him into his arms. He couldn't put himself together enough to even try. He tried to pull back, more from instinct than anything else, when Ken started to tug him over to the door that led to his inner bedroom, but even that did nothing. Ken kept him easily pinned and under control.

"I said I take who I want, Daisuke," Ken murmured in his ear. "Really, what do you have against me? I've caused you no harm. I offer the deepest pleasure you can imagine. Perhaps even more than you can imagine. We won't know until we get started."

Daisuke didn't stop shaking his head. He wasn't certain anymore if it was because of what Ken intended or if he just didn't know how to stop at this point.

Whatever his reasons, Ken pulled him into the bedroom, already beginning to work both their respective clothes off.

"You won't have any complaints. You can trust me on that," Ken murmured, kissing alongside of Daisuke's ear before they collapsed onto the bed. "It will be the most amazing experience of your life."

In fair truth, he didn't lie. Daisuke couldn't make up his mind afterward if it was because he'd never had anything to compare it to or if Ken was just that good at what he did. Maybe a little bit of both, he decided in the end.

Ken didn't just amuse himself for a single evening. No, that would've been far too kind for Daisuke. Nor did he bother to hide what was going on from the servants who came to wake Daisuke in the morning, lounging across his host's bed with his arms around Daisuke.

"We're going to stay in today," he told the first servant. "Bring us breakfast and let anyone else who needs to know that your prince isn't going to be available until I say that he is." He leaned in to kiss the side of Daisuke's ear, one hand wandering down his body possessively. "Isn't that right?"

With his hands going everywhere over Daisuke's chest and shoulders and stomach, Daisuke couldn't find the words to deny him. By the time breakfast arrived, Ken was fully absorbed in taking Daisuke once again, and didn't bother eating until he'd thoroughly sated himself.

"I need to talk to some people," Daisuke finally managed to say, on the third day of Ken's visit. He wasn't certain if he could even walk at the moment, not after Ken enjoying himself on a consistent basis. But he needed to try.

Ken nipped at his lips, clearly aiming for yet another round. "You can wait until I've finished."

Daisuke turned his head away, wanting to at least have a few moments to himself. He hadn't been alone since the moment Ken entered his room. "You're never finished!"

"There is that," Ken agreed. "But nothing that they want can be that important while I'm here. No one would dare interrupt my visit to you."

Daisuke wasn't so certain about that, but the point that he wanted to make and couldn't was that he didn't care about anyone else interrupting the visit. He wanted to talk to his advisers and let them know what was going on. Surely the servants had said something, but he wanted to tell them for himself.

Ken ignored his grumblings, far more interested in satisfying his own wants and needs than Daisuke's. Daisuke found any time he wanted to say or do something that Ken didn't approve of – which could be defined as anything that wasn't having sex with Ken – his uninvited visitor distracted him with more sex.

 _Isn't he ever satisfied?_ Daisuke wondered, wrapped up once again in Ken's embrace. Five days, five nights, and he'd only managed to wriggle a few visits to the bathroom and a few meals, since even Ken needed food to keep going. But the closest that he'd come to getting to fresh air was a few moments on the balcony, and even then Ken tugged him inside shortly, insisting that going out there wasn't safe, and he was far better off indoors.

Technically Daisuke knew he was right. Assassins could strike while he was out there. No assassins had ever even entered his kingdom that he knew of, but it was something that all royalty had to be aware of.

That didn't mean he liked it. He very seldom went out there anyway. But he'd needed air so much, and just a handful of moments without Ken firmly wrapped around him.

Besides, it wasn't as if he could move all that well. Ken was not only insistent on what they did, he was rough doing it, leaving Daisuke littered with bites, bruises, and much more.

 _I'm not sure if I could even walk all the way to the throne room now._ He wanted to find out, but a part of him couldn't escape the sensation that doing so wouldn't be possible for a while.

Another couple of days dripped by, slow and exhausting and intimate in every way he'd ever thought to be intimate with someone else, and many that he hadn't. Ken made it clear that he expected Daisuke to participate in every way allowed, not just to lay back like a lump.

"Besides, it's not as if you dislike what I'm doing to you," Ken murmured, tracing one finger around Daisuke's length casually. "I can tell you enjoy it."

"So?" Daisuke tried not to blush and failed miserably at it. At least Ken wasn't looking at him while he did. Not at his face, anyway. "How many times have I told you that I don't want you like this?"

Ken tilted his head and Daisuke saw a smile there. "How many times have I told you that I take what I want? Besides..." He leaned forward enough to run his tongue slowly along the heated length. "If it wasn't you, imagine who else it could be? Whose bed would you want me in if not yours? And who would you have in yours that isn't me?"

Daisuke tried to answer, but two things kept words from his lips: the slow, erotic sensations of Ken's lips all over him, and the fact that he didn't know. He couldn't think of anyone he'd want to inflict this on and he couldn't think of anyone else that he'd really _want_ to sleep with. His marriage plans were – had been – for protecting his kingdom, nothing more.

 _He could protect my kingdom._

The thought wasn't one he'd entertained before. But the longer that Ken enjoyed himself, the more the thought sank into Daisuke.

He'd wanted to protect his people _from_ Ken and the things he'd been rumored to do when he sank his claws into a new possession. Daisuke wasn't stupid at all. He knew quite well that the reason so many of those around him fell in one fashion or another was because of Ken. He didn't always invade a place. He took what he wanted in other ways.

What he wanted was to isolate Daisuke. To give him no choice in what might come.

Ken might well get rid of Daisuke after enjoying these days with him, having taken what he wanted, determined he needed no more, and wanting no one else to have what he'd enjoyed. Daisuke had no one else who could inherit after him. The terms of Jun's marriage were that only if Daisuke didn't find an heir of his own, or produce one on his own, would any of her children be eligible.

If Daisuke died before he could find an heir, then Ken would take the kingdom. It would need someone and as much as no one _liked_ Ken, he was an extremely effective ruler.

 _But if I marry him, that will make my lands part of his, and he'll protect them too._

It wasn't even close to the best bargain that he thought he could make, but he couldn't think of any other way to do it.

The question just remained on if this would be what Ken would agree to: marriage to Daisuke and the protection of the kingdom. If this was just a way for Ken to pass the time for a while before arranging for Daisuke's death, then he would likely never care. As Daisuke heard too many times already, he took what he wanted.

* * *

Daisuke stirred slowly. He'd lost track of how many times he'd woken up to feeling Ken's arms around him. Something seemed off now, something he could not put his finger on, until he opened his eyes enough to see that there weren't those familiar arms there.

He blinked once. Twice. Rubbed his head carefully, tried to put this into some kind of mental order.

He rolled over. Ken wasn't there. There wasn't a sense of his presence anywhere in the whole suite. Over the last several days he'd woken a time or two to find Ken not there, but he'd always known Ken remained around somewhere. Not this time.

Slowly Daisuke got to his feet, wincing, and wondered if this meant that he could finally get a chance to have a hot bath without being interrupted for more sex, maybe even get his masseuse to work the kinks out of his muscles.

A slow exploration of the area didn't turn up any sign of Ken. Not even a note. Daisuke bathed as thoroughly as possible, found some clean clothes to wear, and headed out, taking every move as carefully as he could. The servants he passed in the hallways looked more or less surprised to see him there, but no one said anything about where Ken might be.

He found his answers when he reached the throne room and saw his circle of advisers talking to one another.

"No sign at all. They just packed up and left this morning," he heard as he got closer. He opened his mouth to greet them, but he'd barely uttered more than a word before they looked at him, and every single jaw there dropped.

"Your Highness?" One of them managed to stammer out. "We weren't certain if - if you were awake or not."

Daisuke had a pretty strong feeling that wasn't really what he intended to say at all. He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping for clear answers. "You said King Ken left this morning?"

"Yes, Highness. But it seems he's not left without a sign regardless." The old man raised one hand and pointed towards Daisuke: his neck in particular. Daisuke looked down, confused until he caught sight of a blossom of gold.

The necklace that marked him as King Ken's chosen. Or perhaps 'necklace' wasn't the right word. Collar would have been more fitting, a close knit band of gold set with a gleaming amethyst the same color as Ken's eyes. He hadn't noticed it at all before, even with his bath. If it was because of some magic or something else, he didn't know. But there it was, and he couldn't take it off. No one could.

* * *

And from that moment onward, any who dared approach him for a marriage alliance fled the moment they saw it. King Ken's desires couldn't be denied. Something Daisuke wished he could do, even more now that the marriage was sealed.

He would protect his people. Even if it cost him his life.

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** So, that's how it began with them. As I said, Ken knows what consent is here. He just doesn't care. Will he care in the future? Read the coming chapters to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Series:** Royal Romance|| **Title:** Consort  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Romance:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** Three|| **Words:** 9,035  
 **Genre:** Drama, Romance|| **Rated:** R  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing, I8, 4-8 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, #24, receive; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #22, 6 chapters; DaiKen Week 2017, day #1, royalty/historical  
 **Notes:** So, we learn secrets about Ken now.

* * *

"You did very well." Gloved hands brushed their way through King Ken's hair. "Is is true? Does he really not suspect?"

"Not a thing." Ken answered. He kept his attention turned towards the floor. He knew if he looked up that he would regret it. He'd gone to far too much trouble making certain others feared the slightest disobedience not to recognize that for himself.

A very approving noise came from above him. He didn't dare to take an extra breath, staring down at the finely woven rug underneath him.

 _What would Daisuke think of this?_

He would never believe it. No one would believe it at all. There would be nothing but laughter at the very thought that the most feared king – perhaps to one day be an emperor – in all the lands would kneel for hours at the feet of a demon, working so very hard to carry out every one of the demon's commands.

"Yes, you do, don't you?" The demon played ever so lightly with his hair. Ken could seldom forget that his mind would forever be laid bare to the demon's whims. Even when he'd rather that it wasn't. "You are mine in every way. There's nothing that can break this bond between us, is there?"

Ken breathed in a deep, shaky breath, his fingers tight on the rug, the word dragged out of him.

"No. Nothing."

There was another word that wanted to be said. Ken didn't want to say it but his own will wasn't involved here. The demon waited, ever so patiently, until Ken couldn't hold it back for another moment.

"Father."

A cold chuckle from the creature that dominated him with little more than a word or a whisper. "Very good. Now. He's going to start looking for 'answers'. To find out why you're not the little goody two shoes you were when I found you."

A gloved hand, hidden talons touching at his skin, brushed against the skin of his throat. "You remember that, don't you, my son?"

After all these years, so much had changed for Ken. He knew that even if it became known that a demon's blood flowed through his veins and a demon's whims governed all that he did, none of that forgave what he'd done. But one thing had never changed: the demon's touch sickened him. And he could do nothing about it.

"Yes, father," he replied, forcing his voice up to an audible register. His demonic father refused to let him whisper, even when he had no strength left to speak.

"Now, what to do with the little plaything that thinks it can remake you into what I don't want you to be." The demon sauntered around Ken, not losing contact with him for a moment, the tips of his taloned fingers caressing over all of Ken's bare skin. If there wasn't bare skin where he wanted to touch, then the demon ripped Ken's clothes with little more than a dig of his claws.

Ken had lost more outfits to the demon's twisted touch than he'd ever lost to anything else in all of his life. But that was on the list of things he couldn't complain about.

"He won't learn anything, father," Ken murmured, tilting his head up as the touch brushed against his cheeks and chin. "I'm the only one who knows about you – except my brother."

His father's chalk white face appeared right over him, purple lips twisted into the most amused of smiles. "Of course. And do you think I'd even _let_ him find out anything, if I didn't want him to?"

"No, father. Of course not." Ken knew that while he made the decisions of what to do with his kingdom, it was his father who had deeper plans and told him where to go when he wanted to. His father didn't care about the commonplace work of ruling. He cared about the grander plan he'd worked on for over a century.

Perhaps even longer. Demons were immortal, after all. Ken had no real idea of what his father's ultimate plan was or how what he did encouraged it. What he knew was that he had to do as he was told, because the penalties of even trying to do otherwise weren't to be thought of.

Osamu paid that price of attempting to learn more than he should have. There was a reason Ken was now the king.

"But that is the question, isn't it? _Do_ I want him to find out about himself, and about me?" His father actually seemed to be considering the question. Ken bit his lip, tasting his own blood as he did. He could taste the demonic influence, hot and fierce and demanding so very much. "What do you think, dear son?"

Ken wished that hadn't been asked. But he could not hold back the answer. "I don't want him to know. He'll search for a time, but I can keep him from finding out anything and he'll come to believe there's no other influence. He won't know anything."

His heart beat that much faster and he did all within his power to keep his thoughts as blank as he could when it came to Daisuke. It wasn't easy. Just thinking about him sent odd thrills all through him, vividly remembering how he'd first taken Daisuke, how he enjoyed Daisuke not being able to turn him down, the way that Daisuke moved against him.

The way that Daisuke smiled. His laugh. His unwavering courage to do what was right, no matter the cost to himself. Even when it came to marrying Ken when Ken knew very well he didn't want to.

Daisuke didn't deserve to be drawn into this demonic darkness.

"Perhaps he doesn't." His father agreed, claws resting now on Ken's throat. Ken shifted, tilting his head back, letting himself remain vulnerable. He wouldn't be able to move fast enough if his father wanted to kill him. "But it intrigues me that you have an interest there that I didn't command of you."

Ken's heart skipped a beat. "Father, I don't – I – he's – he isn't anything but _useful_!" Daisuke's kingdom wasn't very large, but it was set in a very strategic location, which was why it had maintained its independence successfully for centuries. Ken had brushed that aside with his customary ease, of course, because that was what his father demanded of him.

Odd, of course, that his father demanded that he take a consort instead of just enjoying himself for a time and then crushing the kingdom to bits. He could have even kept Daisuke if he'd wanted to; it wouldn't have all been the first time he'd kept something that he wanted while destroying everything else.

"Of course. Useful. Attractive. Pleasant in bed." The demon sounded more and more amused with every breath. "Interesting to play with his mind."

Ken drew a sharp, staggered breath. Most of the time, that hadn't occurred to him. There were times it might have – times when he wasn't with his father, when he was at his cruelest – but not now. Not when he had more control over himself.

"So. He'll search for answers." The demon tapped a finger in thought. "He may well speak to that foolish High Priestess. Ensure that he can't. Kill her or exile her or whatever is most amusing. I'll arrange for a replacement once she's disposed of. I have someone perfect for the task." He chuckled ever so softly. "Frame her, in fact. I want everyone to believe that she and that foolish faith of hers want the absolute worst for everyone." He leaned down to murmur into Ken's ear. "Won't it be so surprising that she truly serves the demonic cause and intended to overthrow you?"

Ken stiffened. He knew that Hikari would never do that. Which by no means meant that she wouldn't be accused of it. He would see to her death because of it – not for consorting with demons, by any means. But threatening the crown would definitely earn her death.

His father's hand touched him again, digging through the layers of clothing to trace down his spine. "And of course, I expect you to keep him from learning anything effective – until I choose otherwise. I have plans for him, as I have plans for you."

Ken swallowed, tensing, as much from his demonic father's words as from the touch on him. "Do you want me to bring him to you, father?"

What worried him more than anything was that he didn't get an answer right away. His father considered it carefully, still petting him as he did, casually shredding the back of his shirt with each moment. Tiny trickles of blood made their way down his sides as well.

 _He's going to ask about this._ But there would be an answer. There always was. Whether the answer would be anything useful, or harmless, Ken didn't know.

"Not yet," the demon said at long last. He raised one taloned finger to his lips, tongue caressing the blood that coated it. "I'll inform you when it's time to bring him to me." A soft chuckle echoed. "As much as he enjoys being in your bed, I wonder what he'd think of being in mine."

Ken violently and visibly shuddered. "I don't think he would want to, father." He didn't know Daisuke as much as he would have liked to, but he thought he knew that much at least.

"I like the sound of it. But we'll wait." His father considered for another few moments. "Go back to your consort. You'll know what I want you to do."

Ken nodded slowly. "Yes, father." He slowly rose to his feet, wincing at the slow pulsing of pain from where his father's claws dug into his flesh. He knew not to leave just _yet_ though. Instead, he turned towards his father and bent his head submissively. "Thank you, father. I love you."

He didn't. He hated him more than anything in all the world. If it weren't for his father, then he wouldn't be one of the most powerful monarchs in all the world. He would be an ordinary prince; Osamu would still be alive and would be king, as he'd been meant to be. He would have been _happy_ like that.

His father touched the side of his face. His lips curved to a smile, one that betokened no pleasure at all, only the sweet desire to hurt others.

"I know that you do. You would be _nothing_ without me. Not even alive." His hand cupped Ken's chin slowly. "But with me, you will have the entire world in your hand. And what will you do with it then?"

Ken knew the answer to that. He'd learned it long ago under his father's painstaking tutelage of him. "Give it to you, father."

"Very good. Now go."

Now Ken left. There wasn't a door or a window or so much as an arch to leave by: he departed only when his father granted permission, through a sphere of shadows. Stepping through it changed him. He'd felt that change so many times over the years.

As soon as he stepped back into his castle, all soft emotion faded from his eyes, replaced by grim satisfaction and flickers still of intense lust, sparked by the thought Daisuke wasn't that far away. He made his way to the bathing area, taking the time to clean himself up and change.

His servants would have to clean and repair his clothes. He suspected they wondered what he did to have his garments torn and bloody on occasion, especially now, when he'd been ostensibly doing nothing more than enjoying himself with his new husband. Let them wonder. If any of them dared to approach him on the subject – or just investigate it too closely for his liking – then they would feed his father's desires.

Demons did so love the taste of human flesh, in so many ways.

That wasn't a taste Ken himself shared, save in certain ways. Such as those who savored with Daisuke. He licked his lips at the thought of that, moving to the bedroom.

Daisuke lay there under a light blanket, the evidence of their night together visible all over. Ken always left marks of his passion; he wanted to make certain Daisuke never forgot who he belonged to now.

 _I do wonder what he'd think of a true demon's attentions._ Ken himself was only half demon, though he'd been well trained by his father. Daisuke would likely be exhausted within minutes, instead of the hours it took Ken to wear him out.

Ken strolled over to him and watched for a few seconds before glancing to see how high up the sun rose. Breakfast would be along shortly. By law and custom, the newlyweds would see only the servants who tended to their personal needs until their first moon together ended.

 _I don't suppose Father counts._ And even if he did, his father made his own rules.

Ken slipped into bed next to Daisuke and began to kiss him along the ears and down his shoulders. Daisuke stirred, face still mostly slack with sleep, and blinked at him for a few moments. All he had on at the moment was his wedding ring and the collar that marked him as Ken's. Ken quite enjoyed the view. And enjoyed Daisuke as well.

* * *

His son was making _such_ good progress. It wouldn't take all that long – just a few more years, a bare skip of time to his view – before the entire world trembled beneath him.

 _Supreme Demon Emperor of all the world._ Piemon licked his lips at the very thought of it. Such a pleasure it would be, especially for someone like him, already a powerful monarch of demons.

Under no circumstances would he ever want less than he already had. Sometimes he just had to use circuitous methods to get the more that he already wanted.

His attention flicked back to the one currently being debauched by his so very well trained and tamed son. He hadn't been lying at the prospect of bringing his interesting little son in law to his own bed. It would hardly be the first time he and Ken enjoyed a morsel together.

 _But he's… different._ Piemon wasn't entirely certain of how. The more that he watched, the more fascinated he became. He would have to investigate the situation even more.

It would be easier to do that once his son disposed of the High Priestess. His lip curled up at the very thought of her. Perhaps he would see to it that she ended up in Vamdemon's clutches. He would thoroughly enjoy sucking her dry. Perhaps he would even grant her eternal life as one of his slaves.

That sparked another thought. Piemon turned away from the sphere he observed his son enjoying himself with his mate and conjured up a second sphere. There he could see his other son – his firstborn. There wasn't much physically that marked the three of them as blood kin, but with demon blood involved, it wasn't that surprising.

His elder son lounged back, fingers caressing the strings of an instrument, murmuring the words of some ridiculous human melody. Those who didn't watch or weren't skilled in the ways of the supernatural would have failed to see the cold expression underneath his outward facade, the way that he picked out the one that he wanted from the crowd, and awaited his time to strike.

 _I'll have to thank Vamdemon one day for his help there. That brat was_ _ **so**_ _difficult to train. Quite unlike his brother._

Of course now his elder son obeyed him without protest, exactly like Ken. Perhaps one day, he'd even obey him with pleasure.

Even if he didn't, his son would obey, and that was far more to Piemon's liking.

He observed a bit more, a faint flicker of amusement tilting his lips at the sight of who his son chose for his next meal. Or in fairness, _what_. As in, what profession the other followed.

 _A hunter. How amusing._

He'd heard many a foolish tale of how hunters and vampires fell into forbidden love. He also knew quite well how those tales truly ended: the hunter ended up drained of every ounce of their blood, left behind as a warning not to underestimate the vampire in question. On rare occasions that hunter wasn't ever found at all, because the hunter became the hunted.

He banished the sphere with a flick of his fingers. Both of his sons carried out his orders without question and his plans proceeded without a single hitch. Soon enough the few entities that stood to actually get in his way would be gone forever, and within a century, if not less, the entire world would fall into his grasp.

* * *

Daisuke curled himself up underneath the blankets, or at least tried to. Ken clearly wasn't interested in starting the morning off with a polite chat and some hot tea. Maybe at least dealing with this would get him some time to himself later. Ken had to sleep, sooner or later.

His hands brushed down Ken's back, encountering something he hadn't expected: wounds of some kind. Daisuke blinked, pressing a little harder.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ken hissed, staring into Daisuke's eyes. Daisuke froze where he lay for a few seconds before he moved his fingers off the injuries.

"What happened?" They weren't deep, though Daisuke thought they'd bled at some point. As far as he knew, Ken didn't have any pets. There wasn't any way that any wild creature could get inside here, not with the guards set all around.

Ken darted forward and sealed his lips against Daisuke's for a few fierce moments before he answered. "You don't need to know. Not right now." His lips trailed downward in that familiar, arousing way that he had, and Daisuke's mind began to spin and dance in that far too familiar way.

He'd figure it all out later, he decided, surrendering to his husband's desires. When it wasn't their moon together and he would have some time to himself.

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** I hadn't originally planned to reveal the secret about Ken – that he's half-demon and that Piemon's influence is what makes him like he is – but as I was deciding what to write about, it felt like this was the place to put it. Yes, Yamato is a vampire. The hunter will appear again later. Maybe not this story, which features Ken  & Daisuke, but later.

This isn't a true breed universe but it will bear some similarities in many ways. Such as Ken and Yamato being Piemon's offspring. And perhaps others...


	4. Chapter 4

**Series:** Royal Romance|| **Title:** Consort  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Romance:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** Four|| **Words:** 12,052  
 **Genre:** Drama, Romance|| **Rated:** R  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing, I8, 4-8 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, #24, receive; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #22, 6 chapters; DaiKen Week 2017, day #1, royalty/historical  
 **Notes:** And the plot rolls onward!

* * *

Daisuke couldn't entirely believe what he'd just heard. From the look on the faces of the rest of King Ken's council, they didn't either.

"What did you say?" He asked, starting to get up. King Ken turned a very amused look on him, gesturing for him to sit down. Daisuke didn't. He wanted to know if his husband had somehow lost his mind.

"I believe I made it very clear. I have received unshakable evidence that High Priestess Hikari, among _many_ others at this temple and others, are in fact collaborating with demons." He shook his head slowly. "I find it as shocking as you, make no mistake. But such a crime cannot be overlooked. It puts the entire realm at risk."

He reached out and wrapped one chilly hand around Daisuke's wrist. "Not to mention that it could call into question the legality of our marriage, upon which the safety of this land depends." He stared deep into Daisuke's eyes and Daisuke could feel his own certainty twitching by a breath.

Something wasn't right and he didn't know what it was, only that it shouldn't have been like this.

One of the higher-ranking nobles politely coughed. "What do you wish to do, Majesty?"

"They must be disposed of. They would protest their guilt, I'm certain, but this would only be for a chance to go into hiding and spread the demonic taint among others." Ken's grip on Daisuke's wrist didn't shift by so much as a breath. Daisuke wanted to say something, but every word died in his throat before he had a chance to.

His thoughts raced forward recklessly, however. That sensation of _wrongness_ didn't change. In fact, it grew even stronger with every moment. He wasn't certain of why King Ken believed this evidence, or even what the evidence was. He wanted to ask about that – he wanted to believe everyone else there did as well.

But as surely as his own lips were sealed, so were theirs. At King Ken's command, guards marched out, their destination the holy temple. Their orders were simple.

"Kill them all," King Ken ordered. "I wish evidence of their deaths brought to me, that we can all rejoice that we are no longer in peril."

The captain saluted at once. He was a tall man with a scarred face, clad all in armor, and with a smile that told Daisuke he would enjoy his orders far more than he had any right to.

Once they were gone, Ken turned his attention back to the business of ruling his kingdom. Several decisions were made, many of which had to do with the union between him and Daisuke. What made this more than a little annoying to Daisuke was that he wasn't allowed a voice in any of that. Ken's orders remained firm: Daisuke had given the kingdom to Ken as part of his wedding price. Therefore, Ken made all the decisions from now on.

Daisuke at least listened. He didn't like a lot of what he heard; laws that had been in place for generations Ken now disposed of with a flick of his hand. All of the advisers and nobles who represented parts of the kingdom – Daisuke theoretically represented his former kingdom – smiled and nodded with every one of Ken's decisions.

 _What is going on here?_ Daisuke ached to say anything that could go against what the king wanted, but the words choked in his throat if he so much as attempted it. He nodded along with everyone else; the only difference between him and them being that Ken pulled him closer, one arm wrapped around him.

Daisuke wasn't at all certain of how much time passed in council before the guards who'd marched out to deliver death to all the temples in the city returned. He stared at their armor – marked liberally now with evidence of combat – and pressed his lips together harder. Had they really done it?

"Majesty," the captain spoke, bowing low, "we have grave news to report to you."

Ken raised one eyebrow, hands brushing through Daisuke's hair as he did. "Report, then."

"While we were able to defeat the demon-wielders posing as priests and priestesses, the false High Priestess must have somehow caught wind of our approach before we arrived."

A tiny part of Daisuke's heart leapt up in joy. He didn't know the High Priestess – the first time he'd ever seen her had been when she conducted their wedding – but to have the chance to escape? He couldn't have been happier, even with Ken's firm grip around his waist.

Ken's free hand drummed on the elegantly carved marble table before him. "I see. Search the city. She can't have gotten that far. Was she the only one who escaped?"

"There were a few others, my lord, but we managed to deal with the majority of them. They put up a bit of resistance, insisted they weren't demon worshipers, and the like." The captain sniffed. "But as you said, we searched the personal rooms of the temple, and we discovered even more evidence. The false Priestess's room..." Now the captain shook his head. "It's not a place that I would show someone like you. I'd rather not have seen it myself."

Ken's lips thinned. "Oh, I imagine that I've seen worse." He turned his gaze to where the royal housekeeper stood at stiff attention. "See to it that the temple is cleansed. Physically at least. I will search for someone who can cleanse it in other ways."

As soon as the housekeeper departed, Ken acknowledged the royal exchequer. "I want a bounty offered for the false High Priestess. Whomsoever brings her to me – alive or dead – will be awarded ten thousand spans of gold. Evidence that can lead to her capture will be worth five thousand."

The official vanished out of another door even as Ken waved a hand toward the other councilors. "Dismissed. I have matters to discuss with my husband."

In a matter of moments, only the two of them remained in the council room. Ken pulled Daisuke into his lap, slowly starting to unfasten Daisuke's red satin doublet.

"Now, I know something's bothering you. What is it?"

Too often for the last few hours, every word Daisuke wanted to say remained tightly sealed behind his lips. It took him another few minutes to work out what he wanted to say now that the words wanted to emerge.

"You believe the High Priestess is a demon worshiper?" He finally asked. What he wanted to say was that he didn't think it was all that possible. Even if it was, just ordering death without trial or even letting anyone else see the evidence sickened him. Why was Ken acting like this? Even with everything he'd done before, this was a brand new level of mayhem.

Ken chuckled, bringing his lips closer to Daisuke's ear to whisper into it. "Who said I believed that?"

Daisuke shuddered, as much from the touch as from the words themselves. Ken's fingers moving past his clothes to press against his chest didn't make the situation any better. He tried to focus, though with every moment that grew harder and harder. "But you said -"

"I said someone brought me evidence. They did. That's not the same thing as believing." Ken chuckled. "The temple is becoming too much of an obstacle to what I want to do. Disposing of it will be to the benefit of everyone. Those who will take their place will serve me properly."

Daisuke's stomach churned in the most horrific ways he thought possible. He clenched his fists together and swallowed hard. "Why didn't you let her show her own evidence of being innocent? That's what – what we would do back home." He vividly recalled all of his lessons in law. He hadn't understood them all but he managed to get that much out, that everyone had a chance and a right to defend themselves.

Ken tapped Daisuke on the nose with one of those chilly fingers. "That's not the law here. Here, what I say goes. That evidence was more than clear enough to be accepted as truth, regardless of how I feel about the temple. Demon worshipers lie constantly. You are aware of that, aren't you?"

Daisuke reluctantly nodded. He'd heard that much, at least. But he'd never met one to know for himself.

Ken wriggled him out of his doublet before his hands slipped around to caress through Daisuke's hair yet again. "I know this bothers you. But we are disposing of threats to the safety of the realm. Surely there's nothing wrong with that."

Daisuke breathed in a harsh, stuttering breath. Part of him wanted to say that this was all wrong; that real threats were dealt with in an entirely different fashion that didn't involve massive bloodshed. Part of him wanted to accept every word that came out of Ken's mouth as the gospel truth, to lean into Ken's embrace, and let him do all the worrying about everything. They were still newlyweds – scarcely having finished their honeymoon a week earlier. He shouldn't worry about matters that made no difference.

Ken tilted Daisuke's head to one side and pressed a soft kiss against Daisuke's throat where his pulse beat. "Let me worry about things. Your job is to be attractive and obedient to me. You understand that, don't you?"

 _No!_ The word almost rose out of Daisuke's throat, only to halt just behind his lips. He breathed even harder, ducking his head, trembling. Wrong. So very wrong, and he wanted to do anything that he could to get out of this pretty prison.

Ken kissed him again and again and with each kiss, one against his pulse, another on his nose, then a long, deep one on Daisuke's lips. "You understand?"

Slowly all of the tension faded out of Daisuke. He sort of vaguely remembered that he'd wanted to learn why Ken wasn't like he'd been as a child, but a passing thought sank itself into him.

 _A lot of people change when they grow up. He's doing what he does for the safety of the realm. It's harsh but it will be for the best._

He closed his eyes and leaned into Ken's touch. As chilly as those fingers were, he liked how they felt against him. "Yes. I understand."

Ken slid Daisuke down so he lay on the council table, starting to work his own clothes open. "I thought that you would."

And all Daisuke could think of just then was how good it felt to be in his husband's arms.

* * *

Hikari kept herself as still as she could, hardly daring to take a breath. If she moved too much, someone would see her. She didn't know who, but there were guards everywhere and people where there weren't guards and she remained convinced that all of them knew where she was and just waited for her to not be able to think clearly before they struck her down. She needed to get out of the city as fast as she could, and find somewhere to stay safe until…

Until.

She didn't know. She'd barely managed to get out of the temple before the harsh sounds of warrior's boots echoed up the hallways. She'd warned her fellow priests and priestesses to flee; not all of them had. Some stayed just to give those who did flee a few more moments to get themselves to safety. The screams of those who stayed behind chased her out of the temple. So much of her wanted to stay behind, to give _them_ the chance to escape, but none of them would have that. She was to escape. She was to find help, somewhere. Somehow.

She closed her eyes and let herself relax. She didn't feel very at ease – any noise that came too close to her made her stiffen up again. She'd not bothered with any of her formal gear. Truth in point, she hadn't bothered with anything but the barest essentials: enough food for a few days and a few simple tunics and trousers that she usually wore when visiting some of her friends outside of the temple.

 _Where do I go?_ That was one question that echoed over and over in her mind and she hadn't really achieved any sort of answer to it. Where could one go when the king's reach stretched so very far? When the king declared her guilty of consorting with demons without so much as a whisper of a trial?

If it hadn't been for divine luck, she wouldn't be out here in the first place. But that luck arrived, in a shimmering pair of deep blue eyes.

If it hadn't been so quiet there, tucked into the very back of the empty building halfway across the city from the temple, Hikari might not have heard the near silent tread of catlike paws. She still didn't move; there wasn't any difference between these paws and a real cat's. If this were a real cat, then she didn't want to give herself away.

"Hikari." A soft whisper and nothing more. Hikari tilted her head to see the white cat in front of her. The cat – who wasn't a cat at all but just bore the shape of one – smiled at the sight of her. "Are you all right?"

That was a question Hikari had no idea of how to answer. Instead, she asked one of her own. "Do you know what's going on?"

"The king has declared that every priest and priestess in the temple – from the city here down to the smallest village – is a demon worshiper and is to be – disposed of." The way she said it made it vividly clear what she meant by that. She ducked her head down for a few seconds. "I haven't heard if they're aware that you escaped or not. If they are, they haven't admitted to it."

Hikari nodded, curling herself up tighter. "I'll leave after nightfall." It would be dangerous; anyone who saw her would wonder about why she wandered the streets. But perhaps not as dangerous as wandering them when all the guards would be on the watch for her.

The cat came up closer and curled into her lap. "You'd best be careful. I'll help when I can."

Hikari rested one hand on her companion's head. For all that they'd known each other only a short time, she found she trusted her more than anyone she'd known short of her brother.

 _Taichi wouldn't allow this._ It had been a very long time since she'd seen her brother. The last she'd heard of him, he'd gone off chasing mists and shadows – otherwise known as vampires, creatures of evil that very seldom let themselves be caught. She'd blessed all of his tools and renewed the blessing whenever he managed to come back around for a visit.

She hadn't seen him in almost seven years. There hadn't been any messages, either. That wasn't always a surprise. Taichi wasn't the greatest letter writer by any means and hunting vampires didn't always provide him with money to send a letter with.

There were other reasons, of course. Reasons that she didn't want to think about, because the idea of him having died somewhere, alone and abandoned and forgotten, wasn't one she needed to think right now, not when she needed to think about how to save her own life.

"Where can I go?" Hikari murmured, not certain if she addressed her companion or herself. She could see the long shafts of sunlight stretching in from the door from where she huddled. How long had she been here? She didn't even remember properly. Everything seemed so muddled up ever since the moment the sweet cat leaped into her window and shocked her by speaking with a human voice.

 _"The king's forces will come today to kill all of you here! You're accused of demon worship! Get out of here!"_

Hikari believed her at once. She wasn't certain why she did, only that she did, and she'd warned as many people as she could before taking her own few possessions and fleeing.

She'd taken nothing with her that could identify her as being of the clergy. Not so much as a single gemstone or well made clothing. All left behind, all left for whatever pretender the king chose to install in her place.

Why? Why was he doing this? That question rang almost as much as her worries about where to go and what to do. She'd always been loyal to the crown, even as she'd begun to have misgivings over what the king did. She'd brought them up only once, before he began his courtship of Prince Daisuke – if that could even have been called courtship. Hikari knew enough to call it a twisted mixture of seduction and blackmail, and certainly not what a proper marriage should be based off of.

The cat touched her, drawing her attention. "I'll look to see if anyone's out there. Going now would be better."

Hikari couldn't find the strength in herself to argue right now. Too many thoughts kept bouncing around for her to focus on anything and if all she did was brood over them, then eventually she'd be caught. Best to go as soon as possible and figure out the details another time.

She passed the time while she waited for her companion to return by whispering ancient prayers for protection and safety: not just for herself, but for the entire kingdom and all of those within it. Hikari couldn't be certain where the root of all this lay but she thought it involved something far worse than even human evil.

 _If I can find out..._ For the sake of the people of the kingdom, she would have to do everything in her power to find out. Even if it took her the span of her entire life to do so.

Of course, if matters went wrong, then her entire life could be far shorter than she dared to imagine.

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** Wow, two more chapters to go. Amazing how things can be finished if I write them! Though of course, the plot has a long way to go.


	5. Chapter 5

**Series:** Royal Romance|| **Title:** Consort  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Romance:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** Five|| **Words:** 15,118  
 **Genre:** Drama, Romance|| **Rated:** R  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing, I8, 4-8 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, #24, receive; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #22, 6 chapters; DaiKen Week 2017, day #1, royalty/historical  
 **Notes:** Attempted rape in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

* * *

Daisuke wondered when Ken would come back to bed. He'd been gone a while, doing something that Daisuke doubted he would understand. Daisuke wasn't sure of how much he understood anymore regardless. What worked in his little kingdom didn't work in Ken's much larger realm.

At least Ken kept telling him that it didn't work and the idea of disbelieving his husband took its time to filter through his thoughts. Daisuke wasn't even sure if he wanted to disbelieve him. It would require so much _effort_ to think things through and he didn't think that he had the energy. Ken did work him fairly hard, after all.

He closed his eyes and turned over in bed, breathing ever so lightly. Perhaps he would get up and have a bath. He hadn't had a bath by himself since he'd been married. He hadn't done a lot of things by himself since he got married.

 _Is that what being married is like?_ Daisuke wasn't entirely sure. But he'd never been married and his parents hadn't really had the chance to tell him anything about it, given how young he'd been when they fell in battle.

His fingers passed over the soft satin of the sheets underneath him. He didn't remember them very well as it was, so even if they had told him something about what marriage was like, he wasn't sure if he would remember it anyway. Vague images alone flickered when he considered them, thoughts of their faces and little more.

He remembered Jun far more clearly, and she'd been so much older than he was that he wasn't sure at times if what he remembered of her happened or if he'd made it up to satisfy his loneliness. And he'd been very lonely growing up. What else could he be, when his parents only wanted him to play with noble children and there weren't that many around?

Another image floated through, once that he hadn't thought about in years. He had to have been about eleven or twelve the last time he'd recalled this one, and he wasn't even sure about that. A tiny blue dragon – well, not all that tiny, since it stood on its hind legs and came up to about his knees at the time. With the happiest of smiles and encouraging words no matter how dire the situation.

 _What would V-mon tell me now?_ Daisuke rolled over again, this time sitting up. He hadn't thought about his old imaginary friend and it surprised him a little that he remembered V-mon so clearly. He'd thought back then that he could even touch him.

But he knew what V-mon would tell him – to remember what he'd done this for and to never give up on whatever his plans and dreams were. He'd always told Daisuke that.

He'd done this – married Ken – to protect his people and to find out what was going on with Ken himself. Daisuke's lips pressed together as a realization swept over him. Ken had gone out of his way to keep Daisuke sated and exhausted so he had no means of doing either of those. Perhaps he couldn't do as much protecting as he'd hoped but he could at least find out about Ken and that would help, wouldn't it?

It wouldn't hurt to try. There were people who changed as they got older – Jun was a lot nicer now than she'd been when they were kids. But he'd never, ever heard of someone as kind and gentle as the stories painted Ken becoming the kind of conquering, seductive person that Daisuke knew him as now. So there had to be something.

He pushed himself to his feet. Talking to the High Priestess might have helped, if anyone knew where she was anymore. In the weeks since the day the king declared every member of the clergy a faithless traitor demon-worshiper, no one had seen more than the faintest glimpses of her, and even those faded away after a short time. He thought that was where Ken was now, searching out the rumors that might lead to her capture.

 _Would talking to anyone around here help?_ The people here had known Ken all of his life, or so he guessed. But they would tell Ken if Daisuke started asking questions and that could definitely get on Ken's bad side.

Daisuke made his way to the bathing area and started to scrub up, thinking more and more with each action that he took. He far preferred taking real action to just thinking about it, but if he didn't work this out, then he'd just end up being screwed into being insensible again and he'd already dealt with that too many times to let it deliberately happen again.

"So if I can't talk to anyone, then what do I do?" Daisuke muttered to himself, scrubbing through his hair. There had to be an answer. He refused to believe that there wasn't one. The problem was finding it, and finding answers hadn't ever been his strong suit.

Of all the answers in the world that he might have received, Daisuke didn't expect a mocking laugh that echoed all around the marble covered bathing room to be one of them. He jerked a little, looking around in panic. There weren't any guards inside and none of the outside ones were allowed in while the king or his husband were in there.

But then the steam parted and there, floating in mid-air, was a _creature_. Whatever this was, it looked roughly human shaped, but with chalk white skin – what skin could be seen, as most of its face was hidden by a silver mask. What it wore vastly resembled a jester's outfit but Daisuke didn't think he'd been so far from laughing in his life. He scrambled backward, searching for at least a towel, and wishing he'd brought a weapon with him before he recalled he hadn't carried one since coming here.

"What are you?" Daisuke demanded. There were so many creatures in the world that weren't human, but he hadn't ever properly met one before. At least not one that looked so more or less human, or that stared at him with such mocking, taunting eyes and a grin.

"I am so very many things. But to begin with, you can call me _father in law_." Another laugh, as cold and mocking as the one that came before it. "I've quite been looking forward to our formal introduction. My dear son has had so many lovely things to say about you." The creature moved forward, as silent as smoke and as taunting as could be. "Such as how pleasurable it is to hear you moan and scream in pleasure."

Daisuke's cheeks scorched red and he twisted back as much as he could. "You – what are you talking about?" He knew what he'd heard and he didn't think that he'd actually heard or believed what he'd heard. Had he fallen asleep and was having some kind of unbelievable dream? Would Ken believe him if he'd said that he'd had a dream about a creature telling him that he was Ken's father?

"My name is Piemon. And whether you believe it or not, I am your father in law. Your husband is my son." He smiled, and just from that smile, Daisuke shuddered. He'd seen pictures of smiles like that before and they all came from one type of being.

"You're a demon."

Piemon circled him slowly, scarlet eyes never leaving him. "Of course I am. Which does make your dear husband half-demon. I know you've wondered what made him so different." Piemon appeared closer in the space of a breath and Daisuke stumbled backward, breath caught in his throat. "I did."

Daisuke shuddered harder, trying to find somewhere to go that didn't have Piemon anywhere near him. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any such place no matter where he looked. Piemon remained far too close.

"What do you want?" Daisuke demanded, clenching his fists and leaning forward, his anger bubbling over. "What did you do to him?"

Piemon kept floating around and around. "He's my son. He is my tool in the human society. He and I plan to take this world. It won't be that much longer." One of Piemon's fingers caressed against the back of his neck and Daisuke jerked away from the touch, heart beating faster and faster.

"You..." Daisuke knew very little about demons but what little that he knew told him that this was all wrong. Not that Piemon lied about being Ken's father – Daisuke could feel the truth about that - but the idea of this demon taking the world sickened him down to his core.

Piemon moved closer, far too close, and Daisuke wriggled backward, panting, shaking his head. "Why?" He wanted to ask so much more but the words refused to come. None of it seemed to make sense. "Why would you want the world?"

Piemon moved far too quickly for him to react, pinning him down on the marble floor. "Because I _do_." He loomed over Daisuke, staring down at him with a hunger Daisuke found all too familiar flaming in his eyes. "And why would you object? You'll be at our feet, where you belong, sharing in our victory."

Daisuke shook his head, trying his very best to back up and not having any real luck doing so. Breath stuttered hard in his lungs as Piemon traced one finger down him. "N-no!" Never before in his life had he been so angry …

For a brief second he wondered if he should be afraid instead. But anger, rage, fury overwhelmed all thoughts of fear and swept them away in a tidal wave that he didn't even consider fighting against. He brought his knees up and slammed them against Piemon, shoving upward at the same time, and slammed his head against Piemon's chest.

The demon king only looked more amused. "I can see what my son sees in you. Sweet to tame and feisty as well. I'm going to enjoy shattering you."

Daisuke didn't think he'd really stopped shaking his head the whole time. His entire existence remained a solid block of _no_ and _never_ and _don't touch me_ and Piemon ignored it all, one knee starting to press between Daisuke's legs. He choked out another word and that horrid laugh echoed deeper into him.

"You think that your dear husband – my _son_ \- would object to me taking you? He already knows I'm here. That's why he's not. He's occupying himself chasing down that priestess while I enjoy myself with you. And even if he _were_ here, then he'd not only not object to this, but he would share you with me." Piemon leaned closer, lips brushing against Daisuke's ear. "Not that we're not going to. And just so you know, as good as I know you find sex with my son, it will be even better with me." A single breath of a pause and Daisuke could feel Piemon's bare skin, cold as ice, against his own. "And to make it even better – this is what you exist for. It's one of the reasons you were created in the first place."

Daisuke snarled out words that he thought would singe even a demon's ears. He wasn't _made_ for anything and he wasn't going to listen to this, even if he couldn't speak a coherent defense.

"But you were. You're not even as human as my son is." Piemon licked Daisuke's throat, his tongue a long streak of hot and wet and horrifying. "I wasn't certain at first but the more I checked, the more I learned. You don't know what you are. But I do. You are a construct, created by one of the most powerful demonic entities in all the realms." Another tease of his tongue and Daisuke refused to believe that his blood heated at this.

Bad enough when his body reacted so intimately to Ken's touch. To have this horrific demon arousing him had to be even worse.

"That's why you belong at our feet. This is why you were created: a tool for pleasure, a tool to be used, the empty shell that your creator will call home one day. But until then, you belong to us."

No more. Daisuke couldn't take another moment of this. He drew in a deep gasp of breath and jerked himself away from Piemon's touch, ducking down into the water and shooting himself forward. He didn't know if this would work. He only knew that he needed to try, needed to do all within his power to get out of there.

He surfaced on the far side of the bathing area and scrambled for the towel, more for whatever meagre protection it could give than anything else. He refused to look back at Piemon. He wanted only to get out of there and pretend this hadn't ever happened.

"Do you really think that you can escape me? That I can't find you wherever you go and do as I please with you?" A low, mocking laugh echoed from all around him. Daisuke jerked his head around, heart pounding. This wasn't what he'd wanted. This wasn't anything close to what he wanted. "You can run if you really want. It will make chasing you down that much more entertaining. Not to mention, just think of what your _dear_ husband will think when he finds out you dared to deny me. You'll be punished so very much." Another laugh. "And you will enjoy it when you are. He'll give you to me and you'll learn to regret ever disobeying me." Long fingers brushed against Daisuke's throat from behind and Daisuke threw himself forward. "Exactly like my son did. I had to train him too. I'm very good at it. No one resists me for long."

Daisuke couldn't stop himself from listening. What he could stop himself from doing was staring at Piemon and waiting to be caught. He scrambled for the door, desperate thoughts tumbling over one another. He needed clothes. He needed some kind of a weapon, something that would work against demons. _Powerful_ demons, because this wasn't just an ordinary imp.

And as much as he wanted to, he didn't need Ken. Ken wouldn't be able to help him here. Even locking himself in their bedroom wouldn't help at all.

"Oh, but it would be fun," Piemon teased, strolling closer, taking his time, scarlet eyes blazing with emotions that made Daisuke want to scream and fly away as fast as he could. "I see that you want to cause trouble. Even knowing what I'll do to you."

"I don't care!" Daisuke managed to grasp the words. "You're not going to do anything to me!" He scrambled up the steps as fast as he could go. Weren't there supposed to be guards? Where were the guards? Where was _anyone_?

"I took care of them. Or, to be fair, I took care of _you_." Piemon stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at Daisuke, who stumbled to a halt at the demon's first words. Piemon hadn't bothered to redress himself. That didn't make Daisuke any happier. "Until I decree otherwise, no one will see or hear you – or me. Oh, if he were here, then my son could, but other than that? It's just you and me in this castle for as long as I want."

He leaned forward. "And you say that you don't care what I'm going to do with you? So you accept that I'm _going_ to do whatever I want to you?"

Daisuke shook his head again. "That's not what I meant." His eyes darted this way and that. Somewhere around here there had to be a way to get out of there. He just wasn't sure of how. If he backed down, he'd be back in the bathing area and there weren't any alternate ways out of there. If he kept on going then he'd be all but throwing himself into Piemon's arms and he wasn't going to do _that_ by any means.

There wasn't enough room there to get by him, either, and nothing that he could see to throw at him to get him to move aside.

Even if there had been, Piemon was a demon. Piemon could go anywhere he wanted and Daisuke wouldn't be able to stop him. His throat closed up in rage. He hated being trapped. He hated not being able to do anything except what someone else wanted him to do.

It had been bad enough when Ken forced him to get married to protect his people but for their sake he'd done it. But now he stood against a demon lord and he couldn't do anything and there wasn't anyone he would be protecting if he gave in, and he wouldn't do it, he wouldn't, he couldn't, and what did that demon mean by Daisuke wasn't human, what was a construct, what could he do, he needed something to do that would get him out of there and where he could _think_ and ask questions, and he needed _help_!

Somewhere not that far away – and far closer than Daisuke would have ever imagined at the moment – there came the sound of something exploding. Rocks and sand rained down from behind Piemon, who jerked around just in time for a long blue claw to rake down his front. Another claw came down; these were about the size of human hands, but far far stronger, and Daisuke's eyes widened when a creature stepped into view.

Most of it was blue but there were also white markings. A horn sprouted from its nose that did nothing to tone down the cheerful grin that wrapped its lips as it spied Daisuke. One clawed hand raised towards him.

"Let me finish this and we'll be right out of here!" The creature declared, turning back to Piemon and slashing harder than the first time. Piemon stepped back as well, eyes narrowed and with far more fury than the lust or amusement he'd shown before.

"How dare you interfere! Who do you think you are?"

The new arrival drew back only for a moment as the marks on its stomach began to glow. "I'm XV-mon!"

And Daisuke couldn't see anything for how bright the light blazed.

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** There is so much that I could say and yet I won't.


End file.
